Medical mandate

As someone involved in patient-related activities, I think AIIMS is not particularly hospitable to patients, writes SK Bose.

This has reference to Sanchita Sharma’s report Aiming for a makeover (March 17). As someone involved in patient-related activities, I think AIIMS is not particularly hospitable to patients. In its plan to add on new buildings and super-speciality centres, the institute has forgotten its real goals. Politicking among the faculty and staff is so rampant that nobody has time for patients. The basic mandate of the institute to excel in teaching, research and quality patient-care has given way to boasting about figures which do not benefit either the patients or the profession.

SK BosePresident, United Patients’ Welfare Association

No troop withdrawal

Prem Shankar Jha’s article Beat retreat (March 23) represents the ambivalent policy adopted so far in tackling militancy in Kashmir. At a time when Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad’s government is gaining popularity with Kashmiris and encouraging the security forces to work without any hindrance, the PDP has raised the bogey of demilitarisation only to prop up its sagging influence. We should not forget that militancy in Kashmir really started with the abduction of Mufti Sayeed’s daughter.

PN Razdanvia e-mail

II

Even partial withdrawal of army from Kashmir is not a good idea at this juncture. What the Centre can do is to put the army in stand-by position out of the cities. The guarding of the cities should be entrusted to the citizens’ organisations, making them part of the solution. Its modus operandi can be discussed with the army officers, state police and leading citizens. This would help to eliminate the alienation the people of Kashmir feel today.

Naval LangaAhmedabad

Amassing wealth wisely

Apropos of the editorial Healthy, wealthy and wise (March 22), Mulayam Singh Yadav has proved that he can manage his party affairs as well as his assets cleverly. In order to prove that he is close to aam admi, he must manage the things accordingly.

CB BhatiaSaharanpur

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